Billy Joel: The Biography [Hardcover] Review

First of all, a little context: There have been only 2 thorough bios of Billy, both in just the last couple of years. This one, and Hank Bordowitz's "Life of an Angry Young Man." As often stated, the bios are rare because Billy and his friends wouldn't talk. Now, thanks to Billy's alienation of those friends, they're talking. Of the two, Bordowitz has the better book, but it's worth comparing the two to get the full picture.

The story of Billy's grandparents is described in detail for the first real time in print (although Bego relies heavily on a PBS documentary of the Joels), and this was good to see. Unfortunately, Bego does a much less thorough job covering Billy's early years. Not only is it covered with less detail, but he seems to rely heavily on previously published interviews with Billy. And as Bego himself references, Billy's memory is not only bad but criminally selective. For example, Bego seems to take Billy at his word surrounding the events of Billy's attempted suicide circa 1969. Hank Bordowitz has a completely different description of the incident, but Bego doesn't even mention that there's a conflict between Billy's memory and the facts. Regrettably, there is also still very little about Billy's odd jobs between Attila and his first solo album. Granted, only Billy (who won't or can't recollect these events) could fully piece together that era, and maybe it's a small point, but it's a shame that time period of Billy's life still remains vague.

The rest of the book is basically a pastiche job of Billy's interviews and other publicly known material. But Bego has two things going for him: First of all, it's a very good compendium of the info that's out there; so even if you knew all this stuff, you finally have it in one read. Secondly, the newer, most revealing things come from interviews from former band members who actually go on record and recall specifics, which gives Bego, I think, a leg up over the Bordowitz book.

Some notable downsides: Bego makes some serious, hilarious goofs. One is to quote a National Enquirer story without any comment on how dubious the source material is (maybe he thought it wasn't necessary, I don't know). He also attributes a quote of Billy's to "The Nylon Curtain," even though the quote was clearly referencing "An Innocent Man"--with hilarious results. But the biggest weakness of the book are the song analyses: Not only are they weak and redundant--most fans don't need to be told what "Piano Man" is about--but he occasionally gets them wrong. In fact, at one point, he says "Temptation" is about Christie--and then 2 pages later quotes Billy as explaining that it's about Alexa!

Now for the technical writing complaints (some will say "nitpicking," but I gotta get 'em off my chest). I don't know how Bego got this book past an editor (presumably he had one??). He often wanders into odd segues and non sequiturs. And he's CONSTANTLY misusing the word "ironically." For example, he talks about how Billy couldn't graduate high school because of a missing English credit. Bego follows this up with, "Ironically, the principal who gave Billy his diploma was his former gym teacher." WHA--? On what planet is that "ironic"?! And, someone tell Bego to stop using a comma after "and" (like I just did). Sorry, but this had to be said.

And yes, Billy comes out looking bad after this. But maybe he should. The band members' stories seem to dovetail, and Bego is gentle in his soapboxing. It's not a hatchet job; it's not investigative journalism; but it is an interesting and revealing read.

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Product Description:
Billy Joel ranks among rock'n'roll's most talented artists. This biography is the first in-depth portrait of a man who is the son of German Jews who fled the Nazi regime, including his childhood in the Bronx, his professional struggles, and his six Grammys. Billy Joel is also widely known for his professional struggles - his substance abuse problems, his marriage to Christie Brinkley, and a string of car accidents. This is a portrait of a larger-than-life figure, featuring interviews with his bandmates and representatives from Columbia Records, an extensive examination of his diverse music tastes, and never-before-seen photographs.

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